1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to locking devices for preventing theft of property associated with a truck and, more particularly, to devices especially adapted to prevent theft of a spare tire from a truck.
2. Description of the Prior Art
In certain trucks, especially certain pickup trucks, a spare tire is carried under the bed of the pickup truck. The spare tire is retained by a bracket that can be lowered or raised by a hoist. The hoist has a rotatable member, such as a rotatable shaft, that is rotated in one direction to lower the spare tire and that is rotated in the opposite direction to elevate the spare tire. Such conventional spare tire retention devices have a disadvantage wherein they are vulnerable to unauthorized operation resulting in theft of the spare tire. In this respect, it would be desirable if a security device were provided which prevented unauthorized use of a spare tire retention device and prevented theft of the spare tire.
In the vicinity of a rotatable shaft used to raise and lower the spare tire retention bracket, there are numerous stationary portions of the truck that may be employed to help arrest motion of the rotatable shaft. In this respect, it would be desirable if a device for preventing theft of a spare tire were provided which utilized a stationary portion of the truck to help arrest motion of the rotatable shaft which is used to raise and lower the spare tire retention assembly.
When devices include locks for providing security, a choice can be made between using built-in locks or using portable padlocks. Built-in locks require careful attention to be paid to the region which receives the lock:. In the case of a retrofitted securing device for a spare tire retention assembly, no lock receiving area would have been initially designed into the construction of the spare tire retention assembly. In this respect, it would be desirable if a device for preventing theft of a spare tire were provided which employed a portable padlock for providing security against theft of the spare tire.
Some locking devices employ large numbers of moving parts that interact in complex ways. Such complex devices are undesirable both because of their relatively high cost and because of their potential for breakdown and failure. In this respect, it would be desirable if a device for preventing theft of a spare tire were provided which was simple in structure and includes no moving parts.
There are a wide variety of trucks on the road that have flat beds. Trucks vary widely in their size and shape and in the spatial relationships between their component parts. For example, the spatial relationship between a rotatable shaft for rotating a spare tire hoist and a fixed frame member for the truck may vary widely from one truck to another.
In normal use, the rotatable shaft for the hoist assembly for the spare tire retention assembly must be turned by some sort of cranking device when the spare tire retention assembly is raised and lowered.
In view of the discussion provided above, it would be desirable if a truck spare tire locking rod would have the following combination of desirable features: (1) prevents unauthorized use of a spare tire retention device and prevents theft of the spare tire; (2) utilizes a stationary portion of the truck to help arrest motion of the rotatable shaft which is used to raise and lower the spare tire retention assembly; (3) employs a portable padlock for providing security against theft of the spare tire; and (4) is simple in structure and includes no moving parts. The foregoing desired characteristics are provided by the unique truck spare tire locking rod of the present invention as will be made apparent from the following description thereof. Other advantages of the present invention over the prior art also will be rendered evident.